My introduction to languages started from a young age with my parents speaking Konkani, my native language, at home. Konkani is a language from the south west coast of India, and there aren’t that many speakers worldwide. When I was young, I learned the language by hearing my parents speak it at home, and it eventually caught on. 

After that, the first time I got exposed to learning a language formally was Spanish in highschool. I caught on relatively easily, and it motivated me to learn more languages and about them. 

My research revolves around different languages and their cultural impact. Growing up with language constantly being around me, it felt natural to be interested and intrigued by regions and their specific languages. In India, each state and region have a variety of languages, so it was super fun getting to learn more about them. 

I started researching about the origins of Konkani earlier this year. My research goes into depth about the Indo-Aryan race and how they first originated from Afghanistan as nomadic people. After that, they moved to modern-day Punjab and Pakistan, which is fertile land and where people started farming and leaving their modern ways. For context, the Indo-Aryan people are the ancestors of a lot of North Indian people. 

After that, some of them moved from the northwest to the northeast to modern-day Bengal, to the Ganga river valley. Through my research, I’ve learned about the cultural values in each region, their language, and folklores. 

People should be aware and connected to their roots, and language is, and always has been, a big part of culture and identity. My research has allowed me to personally feel more connected to my roots, even if they aren’t as present in modern-day culture.